The invention relates to wireless communication, e.g. via Wi-Fi, and more specific to accommodating a service of a wireless slave device to a master device, e.g. providing use of one or more peripherals. In this context peripherals may be external devices like a display, keyboard, or mouse, or peripherals built in a slave device like a loudspeaker or storage unit. For example, a TV may be also a slave device, i.e. the slave function is built in the TV in combination with a number of peripherals internal or external of the TV. Accessing and/or using such peripherals and/or any other internal or external resources of the slave device may be called services provided by a slave device.
Wireless devices, e.g. based on Wi-Fi (as described in IEEE802.11) can offer all kinds of services. These may be services such as video rendering, audio rendering, printing, using a USB device such as a keyboard or a mouse over Wi-Fi, etc. Wi-Fi devices can ‘advertise’ these services over Wi-Fi, such that it is possible for other devices with a Wi-Fi radio to see what Wi-Fi services are available in their vicinity. A Wi-Fi device may also ask (‘probe’) another Wi-Fi device about which Wi-Fi services it has to offer. Wi-Fi offers various ways to do such pre-association discovery.
Wireless docking in a wireless communication system having multiple wireless devices including a master device providing a master function and a slave device providing a slave function may be based on using a Wi-Fi based wireless docking station. The slave function may be embedded in a wireless docking station (also called a wireless docking host or WDH) that enables a mobile device (called master device, or MD) to access a set of peripherals locally attached through a wire or wirelessly connected to the slave device (such as USB mouse, HDMI display, Bluetooth headset) through a set of general message exchange protocols over a wireless link (e.g. Wi-Fi). A slave device coupled together with one or more wired or wireless peripherals is called a wireless docking environment. A slave device may also be a further mobile device having available one or more services for a master device. As such, wireless docking is known, for example, from WO 2012/117306A1.
The wireless slave device may provide information about its presence through a Wi-Fi beacon that master devices can use to select and initiate connections with a chosen slave device.
US2006/0258289 describes a wireless media player and a related system. The media player may wirelessly connect to other devices in the system. A list of devices may be shown on a display to enable the user to select a device to connect. When connected, the display may indicate, by an icon or text, a currently connected device.
EP 2521372 describes using Near Field Communication (NFC) for enabling remote control of electronic devices. A mobile device is positioned within NFC range of a first external device (so-called tagging) to receive first device information via NFC. Subsequently the mobile device communicates with a second external device for transferring the first device information, which may enable a connection between the second external device and the first external device. Also the mobile device may remote control the second external device.